ZNS: Enabling in-place Updates and Transparent High Queue-Depths

Zoned Namespaces represent the first step towards the standardization of Open-Channel SSD concepts in NVMe. Specifically, ZNS brings the ability to implement data placement policies in the host, thus providing a mechanism to lower the write-amplification factor (WAF), (ii) lower NAND over-provisioning, and (iii) tighten tail latencies. Initial ZNS architectures envisioned large zones targeting archival use cases. This motivated the creation of the "Append Command” - a specialization of nameless writes that allows to increase the device I/O queue depth over the initial limitation imposed by the zone write pointer. While this is an elegant solution, backed by academic research, the changes required on file systems and applications is making adoption more difficult. As an alternative, we have proposed exposing a per-zone random write window that allows out-of-order writes around the existing write pointer. This solution brings two benefits over the “Append Command”: First, it allows I/Os to arrive out-of-order without any host software changes. Second, it allows in-place updates within the window, which enables existing log-structured file systems and applications to retain their metadata model without incurring a WAF penalty. In this talk, we will cover in detail the concept of the random write window, the use cases it addresses, and the changes we have done in the Linux stack to support it.

Learning Objectives

Learn about general ZNS architecture and ecosystem,Learn about the use cases supported in ZNS and the design decisions in the current specification with regards to in-place updates and multiple inflight I/Os,Learn about new features being brought to NVMe to support in-place updates and transparent hight queue depths